Shiba felt dizzy and had some urge to puke, but he managed to endure it.
The sensation when he entered the Forest of Illusion had been something he never experienced before, and it wasn't easy to endure.
That was just the sensation of being teleported to the dimension where the Forest of Illusions was located, but it was hard to endure for those that weren't used to it.
However, that was all. Even those who suffered the worst effects from it just stayed unconscious for a while. It wasn't anything dangerous unless you had the bad luck to be found by a beast, but the areas where people appeared weren't places that beast liked because they were usually devoid of food and water.
The Forest of Illusions was big, so the area where people could appear was also big, but it was at the forest's limits. Of course, no one of those trapped could really see the forest limits since they would end losing the orientation if they tried.
To leave, one needed to find one of the exits, which wasn't that difficult since mostly everyone ended up finding them even if they were lost a few months first.
However, Shiba didn't plan to waste several months, or he would have avoided the forest.
"As long as I continue advancing forward, I will end up finding the exit soon. I just need to avoid being tricked by illusions."
Shiba was far too optimistic. The Forest of Illusions wasn't that easy to cross.
"This tree seems familiar, but all trees are similar. It should be my imagination."
After a couple of hours, that was the eighth time that Shiba muttered those words.
No matter how he tried to deny it, it was a fact that he had been walking on circles.
The forest layout was quite complicated, so unless Shiba went cutting everything in front of him, there wasn't anything like a forward path.
However, there was no way someone could do that, or someone would have already done it. The forest didn't allow those of Rank 2 and higher to enter, and without at least that power, there was no way to cut the trees quickly. Cutting trees with Shiba's power would far slower than just roaming randomly.
In fact, trying to go straight was just making things worse because he was unconsciously walking thew same path each time.
"I don't want to admit it, but I am really lost. I wonder how Eini is doing."
Besides the feeling of being lost, he was also missing Eini. It had been a long time since he had been alone that it felt strange for him.
"I am here."
Shiba suddenly turned his head to the voice and saw Eini.
"You have been quite quick in finding me."
Shiba was surprised, but Eini was always so well-prepared that it wasn't something he believed impossible.
"Finding you? Why? Why should I bother to find a mere slave like you? You shouldn't breathe the same air as me!"
Shiba fell to the ground from the shock after hearing those words.
"Why?"
His mind was a complete mess at that moment and couldn't think at all.
"Who would care about someone like you. I was raving when I gave you my legacy, I will take it back."
Shiba heard another voice and turned his head towards it.
"Master Liye..."
Eini and Master Liye were the two most important people for Shiba, so being rejected by both simultaneously was devastating for him.
"We attracted you here to kill you without leaving proofs behind. It would be bad for my reputation. Otherwise, since I accepted you as a disciple. Eini did a great work following my orders. You were really fooled."
Master Liye smiled and walked towards Shiba.
"Impossible, it was all a lie?"
Shiba couldn't process any of what was happening.
"Of course. I wouldn't approach you if it weren't because someone like Master Liye asked me to do it."
Eini was looking at him as if he were a mere insect, she had never looked at him like that.
"Prepare to die."
Master Liye took out a metal sword and wielded it ready to cut Shiba.
Shiba was about to close his eyes and wait for his end when he noticed something strange.
"Master, why do you have such a cheap sword?"
That sword was quite a generic one that most beast hunters used, but there was no way Master Liye would use something of that level.
An instant after Shiba spoke, the sword changed into a luxurious one, but it was already too late.
"You are an impostor. My master would never act like this, and the same goes for Eini. If they wanted to kill me, they wouldn't need to do so much planning."
Shiba slowly stood up.
"I am very conscious that I don't deserve being Master Liye's disciple or Eini's friend with my past, but they still accepted me! If I really disappoint them someday, I am fine with giving my life to them, but I won't give it to a couple of imposters. Disappear!"
At Shiba's shout, Eini and Master Liye disappeared. Both of them were an illusion created from his deepest fears on his heart.
If his previous owners appeared, he would have tried to fight or flee no matter how much despair he felt, but what he feared the most was that what he lived since he had met his master had all been a lie.
He wouldn't be able to attack them even if they really tried to kill him.
Thinking it with calm, it wasn't that difficult to notice that it was all fake, but the illusion attacked his deepest fears when he was tired mentally after having been walking in circles for a while, so he was thrown in panic and couldn't think at all.
"I am sorry, Eini, Master Liye. I doubted you. I should be the one to know the best that you wouldn't betray me. I am who I am thanks to both of you. I won't doubt it again."
Shiba smiled and sensed a familiar sensation that he didn't have in more than half a year.
"I advanced to level 8."
Shiba didn't expect that he would advance without noticing it at all.
He could guess that it had been a bit of time since the advanced, but he didn't notice until that moment.
At the moment, he dispelled the illusion, he advanced, but he was unable to notice it since he was having a mental breakthrough.
That was a part of the forest that was maintained as a secret, but for those with huge traumas or fears, the illusions could help them to surpass them and achieve a mental breakthrough, which assisted Shiba to advance to level 8 since he was quite near before entering the Forest of Illusion.
It was maintained as a secret because people that could trigger that kind of illusions that came from their deepest fears could also end up crazy if they couldn't beat them. It wasn't recommended to go on purpose to do it, so no one explained it to others.
It was secretive until the point that not even Eini knew about it.
"I should continue. This time I need to find the real Eini. As for Master Liye, I need to wait until becoming strong enough before going to find his reincarnation."
He knew that it was still less than a year since his master went to reincarnation, so it was quite stupid how he believed that his master could appear as an adult in front of him.
However, he could believe anything from his master, so being reincarnated as an adult didn't seem that impossible if the one doing it was his master.
"Eh, what happened to that three. I saw here eight times even just before falling into the illusion, but there is nothing there."
While preparing to start walking again, he noticed that the tree disappeared together with several other ones near it, opening a path.
"They were all an illusion, I bet that it is the only path that can let me stop walking on circles."
That wasn't really accurate since there were a lot of routes, but it was true that easier paths were opened for those that beat the illusions by their own means.
"I doubt this is enough to leave this forest, but at least I am a step closer."
Shiba didn't hesitate and went through the new path that had opened in front of him.
"Shiba did it quite well despite his dark past. However, Eini will have a harder time. She doesn't have a dark past, but the responsibilities of being born on our family are quite though for her current self. Facing my father and I should be hell for her. What do you think?"
Lina sighed after speaking and continued to observe her sister facing the illusions.
"I don't think anything."
An ancient voice replied to her.
"How can it be that? After all, you are the one who created this Forest of Illusions."